MK:U proposes a new university in the heart of Milton Keynes, conceived as an extension of the city and a catalyst for its future growth. The masterplan envisions an open, permeable campus where landscape, technology and community shape a new civic focus within the wider urban fabric.
Juan Valeros took part throughout the entire competition process, developed within a complex team structure that brought together three architecture studios —WilkinsonEyre, Mecanoo and DRMM—
under AECOM’s coordination, alongside a broad group of consultants and specialists. He contributed to the overall development of the masterplan and, in particular, to the design of the Helix building, one of the civic anchors of Phase 1. Conceived as a principal point of arrival and gathering, the Helix accommodates public-facing spaces organised around a spiralling central void that brings together event areas, exhibition spaces and shared learning environments. In close dialogue with the Forum and the Hub of Discovery, the Helix forms the social and cultural heart of MK:U.
